


Weary of the Fight

by helplesslynerdy



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:19:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/879893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helplesslynerdy/pseuds/helplesslynerdy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose has just turned him down, and he's in a pub in London. A little domestic involving a redhead inexplicably draws him in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Weary of the Fight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [okayokayigive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/okayokayigive/gifts).



She'd said no.

The Doctor trailed his thumb up and down the condensation on his pint of Newcastle Brown. He was used to people being afraid, choosing their normal lives to the uncertainty and danger of his, but never had he been so wrong about a potential traveling companion. He took another swallow, the bitter ale dulling only the periphery of his thoughts.

A commotion to his left pulled him from his sulk. A blond man was yelling at a redheaded woman. She had been retorting to each remark, but as the man's voice escalated, hers became more placating- trying to keep the scene from getting out of hand.

The man had obviously had more than he could handle. A sharp slap of his hand on the table rattled the pub booth. "Yer never gonna be worth anythin', Donna. Jus' someone to pass the time 'til someone else turns the bend. The sooner ya understand tha, the bettah."

The Doctor normally wouldn't step into a domestic, but he could tell this wasn't the first time this scene had played out for this woman. Her eyes had glazed over with the man's last slur, all defiance gone. The Doctor pushed off from the bar, his stool scraping the wooden floor. With every step, his brow darkened- he had unwittingly been looking for this fight.

The man was stumbling, trying to rise, when the Doctor clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's about time for you to go, isn't it, mate? Figure you've had more than enough."

The man fuzzily focused on the Doctor, trying to bat his hand away. "Wha business issit of yers?"

Ignoring the steadily squirming man, he turned to the woman. "He bothering you, miss?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she whispered, eyes not quite meeting his.

The Doctor almost rolled his eyes before turning to the man whose shoulder he was still holding. "You should be getting on home, don't you think?"

"Did ya not hear? She ain't bothered. Slapper's not worth your concern. Move along." The man's almost smug tone caused something to snap within the Doctor. At an inhuman speed, he had the man by the collar in front of him, the man's toes lifting to meet the Doctor's height.

"You know, I used to be a man of patience. A softie, you might say." The man tried to leave the Doctor's grasp, but the Doctor's stoic face belied the inescapable grip he had the smaller man in. "Let a lot of this universe's bullies go on to ruin someone else's day." His steely blue eyes narrowed a fraction. "No more."

Without another word, the Doctor half-dragged the other man to the door and chucked him out into a snowbank. After closing the door, and giving a look that had all other patrons very interested in their own drinks, he returned to the booth with the redhead. The woman was trembling, fingers of her left hand tugging at her right. The determination to not cry was practically oozing from her pores, so the Doctor merely sat down across from her for a few moments before speaking.

"You all right?"

She nodded quickly. "Didn't need you to butt in." The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. Donna squared her shoulders a little more. "He wouldn't have hurt me, you know. Just a lot of bluster."

The Doctor stared at her. These stupid apes. "I could see you had things well in hand," he sarcastically bit out. "I'll just go finish my beer and quit bothering you myself."

Her hand darted forward, grasping his wrist in a vice grip. "Please." She immediately broke eye contact. "Stay. Let me buy you another beer."

He knew that it had only been a matter of minutes, knew the exact temperature the beer would be right now, 20.2 º C, but for whatever reason he couldn't leave this woman alone. Brash as she tried to be, she was hurting. Her finger-pulling tic and the slightest tremble of her lips were broadcasting her pain- not that any of the other people in this pub would notice or even stop to comfort her.

The Doctor ’ s features softened. "Here, I'll buy us another couple of drinks. What can I get you?"

"Just cranberry juice now. Thanks." She finally met his eyes again with a small smile.

As he returned with their drinks, he noticed that she had been considering him- and by the looks of it, the entire time he had been away. But not in a way to make him wary, more like she was trying to peel back his carefully fortified layers. Well, best wishes to her on that endeavor. The most malevolent telepathic races had tried their best. What could one little human with no telepathic capabilities whatsoever do?

"You've lost someone."

The Doctor tried not to drop the drinks.

"I'm sorry. I just- I know that look. My granddad lost my gran just a few years back." She twirled her glass slowly on the coaster, her gaze elsewhere to give him the least bit of privacy.  "He had that same look in his eye, like he wasn't exactly sure where he fit in the world any longer."

The Doctor's breath left him in a rush, traitorous tears entering his own eyes. Everything lost focus until he felt a gentle pressure on his clenched fist. Donna's face came back into focus. She removed her hand and took a sip of her juice.

After a few silent moments of her allowing the Doctor to regain himself, Donna spoke up. "I'm Donna, well- you heard that bast- anyway, I'm Donna. What's your name?"

"John."

"Nice to meet you, John." She clinked her glass against his. "So, what do you do?"

"I do a lot of travel. Quality control."

"You don't say- must be interesting," she said, with the slightest hint of sarcasm. "Alone?"

The Doctor now couldn't look her in the eye. "Usually not. Just asked..." he raked his hand over his scalp, "Yeah, I'm going alone. Better that way."

"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me." She tried to hide a knowing grin as she finished her drink. "Well, I best be off then. Thank you."

Despite the time since...well, he did not want to be back to being alone right away. "Here, let me walk you home."

She looked at him quizzically. "I'm a big girl, I'll be all right. Just a few blocks."

"Do you live with that prat?"

"No. Still living with my parents and granddad." She fumbled through her purse, as if this admittance were a regular embarrassment.

"Still, he may be waiting for you. Don't be stupid, let me walk you home."

She pursed her lips, considering. "All right. If you must fulfill your chivalrous need."

The Doctor chuckled as she led the way out of the pub.

"What do you do when not honing that barbed lip?"

She smiled ruefully. "Between jobs, actually."

"Oh, world of possibility then."

Donna couldn't contain a snort. "Yeah, for a woman who never went to uni and has little more than temp work to recommend her?"

"You're brilliant," he said without hesitation.

She paused mid-stride. "You do realize you aren't getting anywhere with that line, right?"

The Doctor barked out a laugh. "Was being sincere. Blimey."

"Give it a few days. You'd think differently."

"I doubt that."

They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. She stopped in the middle of a nice little neighborhood. "This is me."

"Right. Well, nice to have met you."

"And you." Donna bit her lip before pushing up on the balls of her feet and kissing him. The Doctor didn't respond but didn't want to push her away in outright rejection after the night that she had.

She noticed that he wasn't reciprocating and pulled back quickly. After tugging on her fingers a bit, she finally looked up at him again. He was smiling, and she allowed herself to, as well. Even in rejection, this man didn't make her feel worthless.

He nodded once and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she shouted.

He turned around. "Oh, what now?"

"Find someone. Someone to travel with." She smirked. "Don't seem to be much good on your own."

"Oi- and after all I did for you tonight-"

"But you know I'm right."

The Doctor shook his head, trying his best to stifle a conceding smile. He nodded towards her house. "Get on with you."

Donna laughed. "Goodbye, John."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own _Doctor Who_ or its brilliant characters.


End file.
